II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5210 

To improve mental health services of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 25, 2024 

Mr. TESTER introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To improve mental health services of the Department of 

Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Building Resources and Access for Veterans’ Mental 

6 Health Engagement Act of 2024’’ or the ‘‘BRAVE Act 

7 of 2024’’. 

8 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

9 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 


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TITLE I—IMPROVEMENT OF WORKFORCE IN SUPPORT OF 

MENTAL HEALTH CARE 

Sec. 101. Report on market pay surveys for Readjustment Counseling Service 

positions. 

Sec. 102. Qualifications of appointees in occupations that support mental 

health programs. 

Sec. 103. Report on coordination of Veterans Health Administration with Readjustment Counseling Service. 

TITLE II—IMPROVEMENT OF VET CENTER INFRASTRUCTURE 

AND TECHNOLOGY 

Sec. 201. Vet Center defined. 

Sec. 202. Comptroller General report on Readjustment Counseling Service 

model for expansion of Vet Center footprint. 

Sec. 203. Improvement of guidance and information to improve veteran outreach efforts by Vet Centers. 

Sec. 204. Report on information technology system of Readjustment Counseling 

Service. 

TITLE III—WOMEN VETERANS 

Sec. 301. Study on effectiveness of suicide prevention and mental health outreach programs of Department of Veterans Affairs for women 

veterans. 

Sec. 302. Requirement for Department of Veterans Affairs to modify the 

REACH VET program to incorporate risk factors weighted for 

women veterans. 

Sec. 303. Review of and report on reintegration and readjustment services for 

veterans and family members in group retreat settings. 

TITLE IV—OTHER MATTERS 

Sec. 401. Extension of Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention 

Grant Program. 

Sec. 402. Access to mental health residential rehabilitation treatment programs 

for veterans with spinal cord injury or disorder. 

Sec. 403. Mental health consultations and outreach on mental health services 

for veterans receiving compensation for disabilities relating to 

mental health diagnoses. 

Sec. 404. Joint report on effectiveness of programs of Department of Veterans 

Affairs and Department of Defense that promote access to 

mental health services for transitioning members of the Armed 

Forces. 


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1 TITLE I—IMPROVEMENT OF 

2 WORKFORCE IN SUPPORT OF 

3 MENTAL HEALTH CARE 

4 SEC. 101. REPORT ON MARKET PAY SURVEYS FOR READ5 JUSTMENT COUNSELING SERVICE POSI6 TIONS. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that the Secretary of 

8 Veterans Affairs, through the Chief Readjustment Coun9 seling Officer, reviews market pay surveys in each Read10 justment Counseling Service District to compare the sala11 ries of employees in the Readjustment Counseling Service 

12 of the Department of Veterans Affairs, including licensed 

13 professional mental health counselors, social workers, and 

14 marriage and family therapists, to the salaries of similarly 

15 situated employees within the Department and the private 

16 sector. 

17 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

18 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 

19 to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and 

20 the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Rep21 resentatives a report on the findings specified in sub22 section (a), which shall— 

23 (1) include an assessment of pay disparities be24 tween employees of the Readjustment Counseling 

25 Service of the Department and similarly situated 


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1 employees within the Department and the private 

2 sector; and 

3 (2) identify if pay-related staffing challenges 

4 exist, and if so, determine if each Readjustment 

5 Counseling Service District has initiated a review of 

6 third-party survey data for the identified occupa7 tions. 

8 (c) DISTRICTS.—Each report submitted under sub9 section (b) shall include reports from all Readjustment 

10 Counseling Service Districts of the Department, includ11 ing— 

12 (1) areas that are geographically diverse; 

13 (2) rural areas; 

14 (3) highly rural areas; 

15 (4) urban areas; and 

16 (5) areas with health care shortages. 

17 (d) ASSESSMENT OF PAY.—Each report submitted 

18 under subsection (b) shall include an assessment of pay 

19 based on the following factors: 

20 (1) Third-party survey data. 

21 (2) Geographic location. 

22 (3) Equivalent qualifications (licensure, edu23 cation level, or experience). 

24 (4) Short-term incentives. 


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1 SEC. 102. QUALIFICATIONS OF APPOINTEES IN OCCUPA2 TIONS THAT SUPPORT MENTAL HEALTH PRO3 GRAMS. 

4 (a) PSYCHOLOGISTS.—Section 7402(b)(8)(C) of title 

5 38, United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘for a pe6 riod not to exceed’’ and all that follows through the period 

7 at the end and inserting ‘‘for a reasonable period of time 

8 recommended by the Under Secretary for Health.’’. 

9 (b) LICENSED PROFESSIONAL MENTAL HEALTH

10 COUNSELORS.—Section 7402(b)(11)(B) of title 38, 

11 United States Code, is amended by striking the period at 

12 the end and inserting ‘‘, except that the Secretary may 

13 waive the requirement of licensure or certification for an 

14 individual licensed professional mental health counselor 

15 for a reasonable period of time recommended by the Under 

16 Secretary for Health.’’. 

17 SEC. 103. REPORT ON COORDINATION OF VETERANS 

18 HEALTH ADMINISTRATION WITH READJUST19 MENT COUNSELING SERVICE. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after the 

21 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet22 erans Affairs shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ 

23 Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Af24 fairs of the House of Representatives a report regarding 

25 coordination between the clinical care system of the VetVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:23 Oct 09, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5210.IS S5210

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1 erans Health Administration and the Readjustment Coun2 seling Service of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

3 (b) ASSESSMENT.—The report required by subsection 

4 (a) shall include an assessment of the adherence by each 

5 Director of a Veterans Integrated Service Network to poli6 cies of the Veterans Health Administration, which require 

7 each such Director to ensure that a support facility of the 

8 Department of Veterans Affairs is aligned laterally with 

9 each Vet Center to provide supportive administrative and 

10 clinical collaboration to better serve veterans eligible for 

11 services from Vet Centers, particularly those at high risk 

12 for suicide. 

13 (c) ANALYSIS.—The report required by subsection (a) 

14 shall include an analysis of— 

15 (1) whether staff at Vet Centers in the local 

16 area of a medical facility of the Department have 

17 the updated contact information for appropriate 

18 staff at the medical facility to ensure proper coordi19 nation of care; 

20 (2) whether the external clinical consultant and 

21 suicide prevention coordinator of a medical facility of 

22 the Department are providing counseling staff of 

23 each Vet Center in the local area of the medical fa24 cility professional consultation not less frequently 

25 than monthly through regularly scheduled peer case 


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1 presentations onsite at the Vet Center or via virtual 

2 or telephone consultation as necessary to fully sup3 port the coordination of care of patients, particularly 

4 those at high risk for suicide; 

5 (3) whether the external clinical consultant and 

6 suicide prevention coordinator are documenting any 

7 consultation conducted under paragraph (2); and 

8 (4) whether the Under Secretary for Health is 

9 coordinating with the Outreach Specialist at each 

10 Vet Center to ensure active duty members of the 

11 Armed Forces who are participating in the Transi12 tion Assistance Program of the Department of De13 fense are provided information regarding Vet Cen14 ters and the services provided at Vet Centers. 

15 (d) VET CENTER DEFINED.—In this section, the 

16 term ‘‘Vet Center’’ has the meaning given that term in 

17 section 1712A(h) of title 38, United States Code. 

18 TITLE II—IMPROVEMENT OF 

19 VET CENTER INFRASTRUC20 TURE AND TECHNOLOGY 

21 SEC. 201. VET CENTER DEFINED. 

22 In this title, the term ‘‘Vet Center’’ has the meaning 

23 given that term in section 1712A(h) of title 38, United 

24 States Code. 


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1 SEC. 202. COMPTROLLER GENERAL REPORT ON READJUST2 MENT COUNSELING SERVICE MODEL FOR EX3 PANSION OF VET CENTER FOOTPRINT. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 

5 date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 

6 of the United States shall submit to the Committee on 

7 Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Vet8 erans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a report 

9 assessing the model used by the Readjustment Counseling 

10 Service of the Department of Veterans Affairs to guide 

11 the expansion of the real property footprint of Vet Cen12 ters. 

13 (b) ELEMENTS.—The report required by subsection 

14 (a) shall assess— 

15 (1) whether the model described in such sub16 section adequately accounts for the demand for Vet 

17 Center services in rural areas; 

18 (2) whether the frequency with which the Sec19 retary of Veterans Affairs is reassessing areas for 

20 potential expansion of Vet Center services is often 

21 enough to address any population shifts; 

22 (3) whether such model adequately considers 

23 the needs of veterans in areas with high rates of 

24 calls to the Veterans Crisis Line or high rates of sui25 cide by veterans or members of the Armed Forces; 


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1 (4) whether such model adequately accounts for 

2 trends in usage of mobile Vet Centers in a given 

3 area; and 

4 (5) whether such model takes into account the 

5 unique needs of veterans and members of the Armed 

6 Forces in areas being assessed. 

7 (c) VETERANS CRISIS LINE.—In this section, the 

8 term ‘‘Veterans Crisis Line’’ means the toll-free hotline 

9 for veterans established under section 1720F(h) of title 

10 38, United States Code. 

11 SEC. 203. IMPROVEMENT OF GUIDANCE AND INFORMATION 

12 TO IMPROVE VETERAN OUTREACH EFFORTS 

13 BY VET CENTERS. 

14 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact15 ment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall— 

16 (1) ensure each Vet Center has demographic 

17 data, such as age, gender, race, and ethnicity, for in18 dividuals eligible for Vet Center services in the serv19 ice area of such Vet Center to be used to tailor out20 reach activities, including data on veterans who have 

21 recently transitioned from service in the Armed 

22 Forces; 

23 (2) provide Vet Centers with guidance for as24 sessing the effectiveness of outreach activities, in25 cluding guidance on metrics for those activities and 


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1 targets against which to assess those metrics to de2 termine effectiveness; 

3 (3) develop and implement a process to periodi4 cally assess the extent to which veterans and mem5 bers of the Armed Forces who are eligible for serv6 ices from Vet Centers experience barriers to obtain7 ing such services, including a lack of awareness 

8 about Vet Centers and challenges accessing Vet Cen9 ter services; and 

10 (4) develop and implement a process to periodi11 cally assess the extent to which staff of Vet Centers 

12 may encounter barriers to providing services. 

13 SEC. 204. REPORT ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEM 

14 OF READJUSTMENT COUNSELING SERVICE. 

15 Not later than 60 days after the date of the enact16 ment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 

17 through the Chief Readjustment Counseling Officer of the 

18 Veterans Health Administration, shall submit to the Com19 mittee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Com20 mittee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representa21 tives a report identifying— 

22 (1) whether the Department of Veterans Affairs 

23 is retaining or replacing the current information 

24 technology platform of the Department, commonly 

25 referred to as ‘‘RCSNet’’, which is currently used to 


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1 manage certain parts of the daily work of employees 

2 of the Readjustment Counseling Service and oper3 ational data and management functions of the Read4 justment Counseling Service; 

5 (2) if the Department intends to keep RCSNet, 

6 the rationale for that decision and an identification 

7 of the steps the Department is taking to maintain 

8 or improve the functionality of RCSNet and the 

9 timeline for those steps; and 

10 (3) if the Department intends to replace 

11 RCSNet, the rationale for that decision and an iden12 tification of the steps the Department is taking to 

13 implement that replacement, including a timeline 

14 and the estimated cost for that replacement. 

15 TITLE III—WOMEN VETERANS 

16 SEC. 301. STUDY ON EFFECTIVENESS OF SUICIDE PREVEN17 TION AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTREACH PRO18 GRAMS OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF19 FAIRS FOR WOMEN VETERANS. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 240 days after the 

21 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet22 erans Affairs shall conduct surveys and host listening ses23 sions with women veterans to determine the extent to 

24 which— 


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1 (1) suicide prevention, lethal-means safety, and 

2 mental health resources and messaging campaigns of 

3 the Department of Veterans Affairs are perceived 

4 and accepted by women veterans; 

5 (2) women veterans find those resources and 

6 messaging campaigns effective and sufficiently tai7 lored to women veterans; 

8 (3) the integration into those resources and 

9 messaging campaigns of information pertaining to 

10 military sexual trauma, intimate partner violence, 

11 and trauma-informed health care would make those 

12 resources and messaging campaigns more effective 

13 for women veterans; 

14 (4) the Department could make additional im15 provements to those resources and messaging cam16 paigns, including the Women’s Health Transition 

17 Training Program, to make those resources and 

18 messaging campaigns more effective for women vet19 erans; and 

20 (5) programs and services of the Department 

21 are targeted at women veterans of different ages and 

22 eras of services, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and 

23 geographical areas. 

24 (b) POPULATION STUDIED.—The Secretary shall 

25 conduct the surveys and listening sessions required under 


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1 subsection (a) in urban and rural areas and shall ensure 

2 such surveys and listening sessions are targeted at dif3 ferent demographics. 

4 (c) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the sur5 veys and listening sessions required under subsection (a) 

6 are complete, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee 

7 on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on 

8 Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a report 

9 on the findings of such surveys and listening sessions, 

10 which shall document the steps the Secretary intends to 

11 take to refine the suicide prevention, lethal-means safety, 

12 and mental health resources and messaging campaigns of 

13 the Department based on the feedback from such surveys 

14 and listening sessions to ensure the Secretary is utilizing 

15 the most effective strategies. 

16 SEC. 302. REQUIREMENT FOR DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

17 AFFAIRS TO MODIFY THE REACH VET PRO18 GRAM TO INCORPORATE RISK FACTORS 

19 WEIGHTED FOR WOMEN VETERANS. 

20 Not later than 60 days after the date of the enact21 ment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 

22 initiate efforts to modify the Recovery Engagement and 

23 Coordination for Health–Veterans Enhanced Treatment 

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1 gram risk factors weighted for women, such as military 

2 sexual trauma and intimate partner violence. 

3 SEC. 303. REVIEW OF AND REPORT ON REINTEGRATION 

4 AND READJUSTMENT SERVICES FOR VET5 ERANS AND FAMILY MEMBERS IN GROUP RE6 TREAT SETTINGS. 

7 (a) REVIEW.—Not later than 60 days after the date 

8 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans 

9 Affairs shall review all requests for reintegration and read10 justment services for veterans and family members of vet11 erans in group retreat program settings under section 

12 1712A(a)(1)(B)(ii) of title 38, United States Code, to de13 termine if current retreat programming meets demand, 

14 specifically requests for— 

15 (1) women only retreats; 

16 (2) disabled access retreats, particularly wheel17 chair accessible retreats; and 

18 (3) retreats for veterans with specific medical 

19 needs. 

20 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 120 days after the date 

21 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 

22 to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and 

23 the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Rep24 resentatives a report on whether the provision by the Sec25 retary of reintegration and readjustment services for vetVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:23 Oct 09, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5210.IS S5210

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1 erans and family members of veterans in group retreat 

2 program settings should be increased and made perma3 nent, including— 

4 (1) women only retreats; 

5 (2) disabled access retreats, particularly wheel6 chair accessible retreats; and 

7 (3) retreats for veterans with specific medical 

8 needs. 

9 TITLE IV—OTHER MATTERS 

10 SEC. 401. EXTENSION OF STAFF SERGEANT PARKER GOR11 DON FOX SUICIDE PREVENTION GRANT PRO12 GRAM. 

13 Section 201 of the Commander John Scott Hannon 

14 Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019 

15 (Public Law 116–171; 38 U.S.C. 1720F note) is amend16 ed— 

17 (1) in subsection (c)(2)(A), by striking 

18 ‘‘$750,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$1,000,000’’; and 

19 (2) in subsection (j), by striking ‘‘three years’’ 

20 and inserting ‘‘six years’’. 

21 SEC. 402. ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH RESIDENTIAL REHA22 BILITATION TREATMENT PROGRAMS FOR 

23 VETERANS WITH SPINAL CORD INJURY OR 

24 DISORDER. 

25 (a) PLAN.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after 

2 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

3 of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committee 

4 on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Com5 mittee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Rep6 resentatives a plan to ensure access to mental health 

7 residential treatment programs of the Department of 

8 Veterans Affairs for veterans with a spinal cord in9 jury or disorder. 

10 (2) ELEMENTS.—The plan required under 

11 paragraph (1) shall include— 

12 (A) a staffing plan, which shall include a 

13 plan for how the Department will— 

14 (i) incorporate staff from other facili15 ties to support the pilot program required 

16 under subsection (b); and 

17 (ii) ensure adequate staffing to sup18 port the needs of veterans with a spinal 

19 cord injury or disorder; 

20 (B) an assessment of medical equipment 

21 needs; and 

22 (C) an assessment of the best location to 

23 deliver treatment and health care under the 

24 mental health residential treatment programs of 

25 the Department, including through the use of 


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1 spinal cord injury or disorder centers and spinal 

2 cord injury or disorder spokes. 

3 (b) PILOT PROGRAM.—Commencing not later than 

4 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

5 Secretary shall carry out a pilot program to provide access 

6 to mental health residential treatment programs of the 

7 Department for veterans with a spinal cord injury or dis8 order at not fewer than three medical facilities of the De9 partment. 

10 (c) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 

11 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 

12 to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and 

13 the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Rep14 resentatives a report on— 

15 (1) the implementation of the plan required 

16 under subsection (a); 

17 (2) the initial results from the pilot program 

18 under subsection (b); and 

19 (3) plans to expand the mental health residen20 tial treatment programs of the Department to addi21 tional medical facilities of the Department to ad22 dress demand for the highly specialized treatment 

23 provided under such programs for veterans with a 

24 spinal cord injury or disorder. 


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1 SEC. 403. MENTAL HEALTH CONSULTATIONS AND OUT2 REACH ON MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR 

3 VETERANS RECEIVING COMPENSATION FOR 

4 DISABILITIES RELATING TO MENTAL HEALTH 

5 DIAGNOSES. 

6 (a) TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—The section 1167 of title 38, 

8 United States Code, relating to mental health con9 sultations, is redesignated as section 1169. 

10 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—The table of sec11 tions at the beginning of chapter 11 is amended— 

12 (A) by striking the item relating to the sec13 tion 1167 relating to mental health consulta14 tions; and 

15 (B) adding after the item relating to sec16 tion 1168 the following new item: 

‘‘1169. Mental health consultations.’’. 

17 (b) IMPROVEMENTS.—Section 1169 of such title, as 

18 redesignated by subsection (a), is amended— 

19 (1) in subsection (a), in the subsection heading, 

20 by striking ‘‘IN GENERAL’’ and inserting ‘‘INITIAL

21 MENTAL HEALTH CONSULTATIONS’’; 

22 (2) by redesignating subsection (b) and (c) as 

23 subsections (c) and (d), respectively; 

24 (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol25 lowing new subsection (b): 


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1 ‘‘(b) ANNUAL MENTAL HEALTH CONSULTATIONS

2 AND OUTREACH.—Not less frequently than once each 

3 year, the Secretary shall— 

4 ‘‘(1) offer to each veteran who is receiving com5 pensation under this chapter for a service-connected 

6 disability relating to a mental health diagnosis a 

7 mental health consultation to assess the mental 

8 health needs of, and discuss other mental health 

9 care options for, the veteran; and 

10 ‘‘(2) conduct outreach to each veteran described 

11 in paragraph (1) regarding the availability of con12 sultations described in such paragraph and other 

13 mental health services from the Department.’’; 

14 (4) in subsection (c), as redesignated by para15 graph (2), by inserting ‘‘or (b)’’ after ‘‘under sub16 section (a)’’ both places it appears; and 

17 (5) in subsection (d), as redesignated by para18 graph (2), by inserting ‘‘or as requiring reevaluation 

19 of any entitlement of the veteran to compensation 

20 under this chapter’’ before the period at the end. 

21 (c) BIENNIAL REPORTS.—Such section, as amended 

22 by subsection (b), is further amended by adding at the 

23 end the following new subsection: 

24 ‘‘(e) BIENNIAL REVIEWS AND REPORTS.—(1) Not 

25 later than one year after the date of the enactment of the 


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1 BRAVE Act of 2024, and not less frequently than once 

2 every two years thereafter, the Secretary shall— 

3 ‘‘(A) review the efficacy of the outreach of the 

4 Department with respect to consultations offered 

5 under this section; and 

6 ‘‘(B) submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Af7 fairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ 

8 Affairs of the House of Representatives a report 

9 on— 

10 ‘‘(i) the findings of the Secretary with re11 spect to the most recent review conducted pur12 suant to subparagraph (A); and 

13 ‘‘(ii) the plans of the Secretary to address 

14 the findings described in clause (i). 

15 ‘‘(2) In order to facilitate reviews conducted under 

16 paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary shall— 

17 ‘‘(A) ensure veterans can provide feedback to 

18 the Secretary on outreach described in paragraph 

19 (1) and the consultations offered under this section; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(B) analyze the feedback described in subpara22 graph (A) that is provided to the Secretary. 

23 ‘‘(3) Each review conducted pursuant to paragraph 

24 (1)(A) shall cover the following: 


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1 ‘‘(A) The feedback collected under paragraph 

2 (2). 

3 ‘‘(B) Consultations sought pursuant to offers 

4 under this section. 

5 ‘‘(C) Matters that deter veterans from seeking 

6 consultations offered under this section.’’. 

7 SEC. 404. JOINT REPORT ON EFFECTIVENESS OF PRO8 GRAMS OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF9 FAIRS AND DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE THAT 

10 PROMOTE ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH 

11 SERVICES FOR TRANSITIONING MEMBERS OF 

12 THE ARMED FORCES. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

14 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet15 erans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense shall jointly 

16 submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Sen17 ate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House 

18 of Representatives a report on the actions taken or that 

19 will be taken by each such Secretary, either independently 

20 or jointly, to improve the effectiveness of programs of the 

21 Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of 

22 Defense that promote access to mental health services for 

23 members of the Armed Forces transitioning from service 

24 in the Armed Forces to civilian life. 


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1 (b) STATUS OF RESPONSE TO COMPTROLLER GEN2 ERAL RECOMMENDATIONS.—The report required under 

3 subsection (a) shall include an assessment of the status 

4 of the response by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and 

5 the Secretary of Defense to the recommendations of the 

6 Comptroller General of the United States set forth in the 

7 July 2024 report entitled ‘‘DOD AND VA HEALTH 

8 CARE: Actions Needed to Better Facilitate Access to 

9 Mental Health Services During Military to Civilian Tran10 sitions’’ (GAO–24–106189). 

11 (c) IDENTIFICATION OF DUPLICATIVE EFFORTS.— 

12 The report required under subsection (a) shall identify any 

13 duplicative efforts or gaps in services and recommend 

14 changes to programs of the Department of Veterans Af15 fairs or the Department of Defense to address such dupli16 cative efforts or gaps, including recommendations for leg17 islative action. 

Æ 


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